The Expedition
by Archangel Ben
Summary: Armada sorta. Optimus sends Archangel Ben to survey a new alien world, and it's not all for the obvious reasons...
1. Chapter 1

This is a 'fic to explain how Mohenjo came to be in my fanfics w/ Ben and the others.

-

Year: 1982 A.D.

-

Autobot command had sent the Archangel Ben on a reconnaissance mission to explore a new planet newly found in Sector U.

"Tubububu!" Ben grumbled, folding his arms. He and Optimus were at the Ocean City Seabase in the Atlantic, as Ben was to be launched into deep space.

Optimus patted Ben on the shoulder. "You need a break as it is. Besides, you'll get to see a new planet, and meet new life." He said cheerfully.

Ben feigned a smile for Optimus and got on the ship, but before it was to lift off, Optimus paused the launch. Leaning into the cockpit where Ben sat, he placed a small Transformer next to him.

"His name is Shellback, and he'll be your partner on this mission. Don't worry, Eris already downloaded all relevant information about you into him." Optimus said cheerfully.

Looking at the Shellback, Ben was surprised; the 'bot was only 11 feet high (tiny for a Transformer) and the looks were what surprised him the most. The face was humaniform, for the most part, but shielded like Optimus's face. Looking at Shellback again, Ben noticed many similarities between the two. Though he could not figure out what Shellback transformed into, it certainly wasn't a truck; the armor on the back proved that.

"Thank you." Ben said quietly, and closed the cockpit.

As the ship was driven by AI, Ben had no controls, save the emergency ones. The ship took off quietly, and immediately jumped into Under-space, an alternate dimension through which one could much faster than the speed of light. In fact, the speed was exponentially higher than Light Speed.

"So…you looking forward to this?" Shellback asked in a voice that sounded like a mixture between Ben's original voice and that of Dr. Onishi, a scientist that knew the Transformers, and was supposedly a 'great friend' of them.

Ben simply gave Shellback a sarcastic glare.

"What? Why are you so cranky!" Shellback asked rhetorically, knowing from Ben's history that it would be pointless to expect a normal answer.

To his surprise, Ben actually answered.

"Why do you think? I'm getting taken out of action to investigate a grass-covered rock while Dr. Onishi lechers my friend Eris!" he said, obviously frustrated.

Shellback sighed. "Is it really your concern?" he asked quietly.

Ben's face flushed bright red, but he was silent.

"Is it?" Shellback asked again.

"YES! IT IS! NO DEMON WILL TOUCH MY FRIEND! LEAST OF ALL HISAO ONISHI!" Ben roared, with a crazed look in his eye.

Before Shellback could say anything, the AI interrupted.

"We are about one hour from our destination. Please prepare for jump back to normal space. Thank you."

Relieved by this, Ben looked at Shellback sideways and casually asked, "What do you transform into?"

Shellback smiled under his faceplate. "Hovercraft."

-

The ship neared Ettifenine, the new planet the Autobots discovered in the previously lifeless Sector U. As it did, Ben could hardly help but notice the general color of the planet.

"Shell, why is it white?" he asked in his helium voice.

Shellback tapped some codes into the AI and got a look at the Solar System of Ettifenine.

"The planet is further away from its sun than Earth, so its plants are white as to soak up light of all colors and intensities." The Autobot said in a monotone.

"Oh." Ben said. "WAIT. What about Oceans!"

Shellback shrugged. "I guess the plankton-like life is also white."

"Prepare to crash land in two minutes. Thank you." The AI said in a cheerful voice.

"Does anyone but me hate that voice?" Ben hissed under his breath.

"You and me both." Shellback said.

-

After a delightful crash into the Equivalent of the Rain Forest, Ben and Shellback got out with no injuries.

Shellback looked at Ben and laughed. "You don't plan to meet the natives like that, do you?"

Ben frowned, looking at his puny, half-bat body.

"No. I plan on enacting the Energon growth unit Prime gave me, thank you." He said in a grumpy tone. Flipping a switch on his suit, blue Energon flowed into his bloodstream and turned a vivid green, making the half-bat Archangel glow green for a moment until a green flash engulfed him.

From that flash stood a 6'2" version of his Archangel self, no longer looking like a child, but rather, an adult with large angel wings and bat wings under his arms. Also, the ears were still those of a long-eared bat.

"Whoa." Shellback said, looking at Ben.

To his surprise, Ben spoke in a regular voice. "What? We can't sit here and gawk at me all day. Come on!"

Stupefied, Shellback did as told.

-

As the two cut through the forest, Ben was curious about his ally's background.

"So, how were you made?" he asked, not even looking at Shellback, but rather cutting through a tree.

Shellback smiled as he followed. "Well, I'm the new form of a previous 'bot named Dion."

Ben turned his head around sharply. "Really? I knew Dion. I knew him well. He was a bit of a gambler, but otherwise a great 'bot."

Shellback sighed. "I know you know. Eris sort of…copied your memories and put them in me. That's how I know about you so well."

That made Ben stop dead.

"WHAT?" he asked calmly.

"Do you remember that Cranial exam you had to take before going to space?" Shellback asked.

Ben nodded.

"Well, that was a sham. Eris thought it ideal that your companion should be someone who knows you inside and out." He finished.

Ben was silent, but he ripped a tree out of the ground and threw it to his right.

"I know how you feel." Shellback said quietly, following Ben at a short distance.

Ben turned around and glared hatefully at him. "You may have my memories, but you'll never understand me!" he snarled.

-

R&R! Bot quite to romance yet, I know, but it's coming!

3


	2. Chapter 2

A note from the author: The romance hasn't shown up yet as one of the main romancers has not been introduced yet so NO, there is no slashiness. Also, I don't own Transformers.

-

After Ben's harsh remark, the two had not spoken until they had finally gotten out of the forest.

"Look, I'm sorry that your brain was violated, but that's no reason that we can't work together…" Shellback said timidly, remembering how Ben destroyed Pompeii in a fit of Rage brought on instantly. He certainly didn't wish to cause something like that on an undefended planet.

"Shut up, Dion." Ben snapped, back still to Shellback.

However, the two noticed something that lifted their spirits a bit: out from the forest was a city.

Ben looked at Shellback and the two nodded. They were to head for the city, as night was coming soon, and no one, not even an Archangel and a Transformer, need to be out in the wilderness of a strange planet at night.

About halfway to the city, a female voice called out to the two.

Ben looked back and saw a humanoid female in her prime, gesturing towards them invitingly.

"Don't do it!" Shellback whispered in Ben's ear.

Ben ignored him and strode up to the girl.

"Amazing. She looks just like a human…" Ben marveled quietly.

"Actually, I'm what you would call an alien, although you are the visitor on the planet. Odd, really." The woman said calmly.

Ben jumped back in surprise, and nearly fainted.

Shellback ran up to her. "How do you speak English?"

The woman laughed. "On my home planet, we see and hear English every day. No, I'm not an Earther, or even a Cybertronian. My species is called the So-Li, and this is one of our colony worlds."

"So…what is your name?" Ben asked, still wary.

The woman bowed. "Glinn Rei."

"My name is…" Ben started, but Glinn raised her hand to stop his speech.

"I know, Ben Kiritomi of Earth, also known as Archangel Ben. Trust me, I know." Glinn interjected.

"How did you know? Are your people mind-readers?" Ben asked warily.

Shellback quietly drew his stun taser, in case the woman was a threat.

Glinn only laughed.

"We know you because of the Divine Mirror, the source of our beliefs." She said plainly.

"Divine mirror?" Shellback asked, really confused. "My data banks don't have any information on that!"

A fresh youthful light came into Ben's eyes. "I'm not surprised. Even though you received a copy of my memories, you did not get all of them. The Divine Mirror is a construct, older than Primus, that we created to record history. There should be one on every planet. However, there was a glitch in them that made them less used in our culture: They recorded Earth's history, none other."

Shellback folded his arms. "Hrrumph! Doesn't sound like good artifice to me!" he snorted.

"What's his problem?" Glinn asked Ben, who could only shrug in return.

Shellback raised a brow. "At least your girlfriend got Primus right before she kicked the can." He muttered, and then covered his mouth.

Ben's eyes turned crimson, and his war-hammer appeared in his right hand.

"Right, right! Calm down before you kill the planet!" Shellback said in a soothing voice.

All he got in return was a hit to the face with a war-hammer. Sparks flew everywhere, and Shellback was on the ground, covering his face, wailing in pain.

Glinn could only stare at the aggravated Archangel dumbfounded. The evil grin on Ben's face as he kept hitting Shellback probably was a bad sign of Ben's pent-up anger issues, but it's safe to say that neither Ben nor Shellback were thinking about this.

Finally, Shellback screamed out "I take it back!" and only then did the hammer-blows stop.

"Owwww…." Shellback moaned, engaging the Energon Recovery System, or ERS as the Autobots called it.

"My, you do have a temper…" Glinn said quietly, not even meaning for Ben to hear her.

Lucky for her, Ben's eyes were back to normal. Otherwise, he might have lost his temper on her, which would not have been good.

Ben quickly let his anger go, visibly drawing back. "My mistake…" He said quietly.

Glinn looked him over with a confused eye, but sighed and decided to leave it at that.

Ben turned his head to look at her. "What?" he asked, shrugging.

She laughed. "You're trying to impress me."

Ben's cheeks reddened visibly. "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" Glinn said in a sing-song voice.

"NO!" Ben said, stomping his foot like a child.

"Yu-huh!" Glinn giggled.

"NU-UNH!" Ben yelled.

"Yu-huh!" Glinn said, falling over laughing.

Ben wagged his finger in desperation frustratedly for a few seconds, but no words came out. No woman had ever gotten Ben to be speechless.

Well, there was Tranquility, but she was calm and logical. This girl seemed to be her opposite: loud and childish.

Ben sighed. "So, is there a place for two Autobot adventurers to stay in this town, or do Shellback and I head back into the forest?" he asked calmly, trying not to sound flustered.

It didn't work. Glinn burst into laughter again. Then, just as fast, she sobered up.

"Yeah. There's an inn. I'll take you there." She said in a lucid tone.

"Lead the way." Ben said, picking up Shellback and putting the ten-foot Autobot on his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

-

The group got to an inn whose name is roughly translated "The brick of happiness".

"What does that say?" Ben asked, pointing to the Inn's sign.

Glinn sighed. "It says 'the brick of happiness'" .

Ben scratched his head. "Do they mean bricks like we mean bricks?"

Glinn nodded. "Yeah. They just have a weird love of bricks. It's almost as bad as Kinsei's love of explosives. Almost, but not quite."

Ben laughed at this, not because Glinn meant it as a joke, but because he knew Kinsei very well. He had, after all, created it by accident. As for the love of explosives… the Kinseisians, the native race of Kinsei, thought of Ben as their father, so they used what he used…and he tinkered around with explosives in front of them a lot…so they adopted widespread use of explosives. Surprisingly, they haven't blown up their planet yet, but there is a LOT more tectonic activity than there should be on a tropical world.

As he laughed, his eyes caught hers, and he stopped laughing. Somehow, he got trapped in those eyes, those pools of green, orange, and black. The eyes entrapped him, and he could do nothing but stare. A chill worked its way up his spine, and he stepped forward.

"Glinn…" Ben said.

"Yes?" Glinn asked, seemingly locked in his eyes as well.

"Uhh…" And then Ben's natural nervousness started up again. He fell over, dropping the Autobot on his shoulders.

"Are you OK?" Glinn asked as Ben got up from the dust cloud the fall had caused.

Ben stood up, but something was different. He felt his face.

There they were, taunting him once more.

His blasted glasses!

"Damn, I thought I got rid of these long ago!" Ben hissed at the glasses.

"Why? They make you look honest." Glinn said warmly.

Ben then blushed. "Really?"

Glinn also blushed a little this time. "Yeah."

"AWWWW…Look at the lovebirds. Now, if you'll get your feet off my chest, maybe I could stand up!" Shellback taunted.

"SHUT UP DION!" Ben yelled, stomping on Shellback's face.

"OW!"…

-

R&R!

3


End file.
